You will not see Don Nelson's name when ESPN.com provides your monthly opportunity to register bench grades and gripes via our NBA Coach Approval Ratings.

Not this February.

But by next February . . .

Don't be surprised if he's at midseason with his new team.

Multiple Nellie associates inform ESPN.com that the 65-year-old has dropped hints about considering other jobs after sitting out the rest of this season. It's highly unlikely that Mavericks owner Mark Cuban would let Nelson go anywhere before next season anyway, and a couple of those same Nellie associates say a return to the bench won't happen unless someone out there offers him an annual salary of at least $5 million, but you can be pretty sure someone will in the off-season.

Reason being: There isn't a better coach on the planet who isn't working.

He's officially a Mavericks consultant these days, but Avery Johnson's Mavs don't consult Nelson for much. This is also the final season in which Nelson is earning $5 million, after which comes a drop to a more consultant-like $1 million (and change) but also more freedom to leave for a head-coaching spot, which is why a new gig would shock no one who knows him.

Media types in the Bay Area are already tossing out Nelson's name as an ideal successor to Mike Montgomery in Golden State, given that the Warriors haven't been to the playoffs since Nelson's last full season there in 1993-94. Nelson will also be mentioned as a candidate in Seattle -- barring the re-hiring of the recently promoted Bob Hill -- because of Nelson's longstanding friendship with Sonics general manager Rick Sund.

But I'm betting on Sacramento.

Nelson remains undeniably close with Warriors vice president Chris Mullin, but that alone isn't enough to legitimize the link. Team sources, for starters, insist that reports of friction between Montgomery and star guard Baron Davis are a media creation. Yet even if the Warriors continue to fade and miss the playoffs for the 12th consecutive season, Nelson can't be considered a serious contender to take over in Oaktown unless his relationship with Warriors owner Chris Cohan is mended. Don't forget that Cohan's messy 1995 parting with Nelson was not wrapped up until 1999, when an NBA arbirtator ruled that Nelson could keep $1.6 million that Cohan expected him to repay after Nelson was hired to coach the Knicks.

The Sonics? My suspicion -- endorsed by everyone I've presented it to -- is that Seattle won't be looking to hire a $5 million-a-year coach if Hill is not retained.

Which brings us to Sacramento, where Rick Adelman is in the final few months of his contract. If the Adelman era ends at season's end, as widely expected after a run of eight seasons, Nelson really is a natural successor there. For a few reasons.

1) As we said about the Lakers' Phil Jackson and Denver's George Karl, Nelson is sufficiently eccentric in his own right to have a shot at clicking with new Kings cornerstone Ron Artest.

2) Kings co-owner Joe and Gavin Maloof are undoubtedly willing to pay top dollar for coach, as evidenced by their not-so-secret attempt to hire Jackson before Phil returned to L.A.

3) Nelson is already working for the Maloofs. The madcap brothers own the production company that, with George Clooney as their producer, is putting together a basketball sitcom

Donnie Nelson, president of basketball operations for the Mavericks and Nellie's son, doesn't doubt that his dad's name will come up for several jobs. Noting that the starting-over Toronto Raptors just created a front-office opening, Donnie said: "Anybody looking for a coach or GM should have Nellie on their list. He's already built three franchises from the ground up."

The younger Nelson is quick to add, though, that he'll be lobbying his father to turn down any offer that comes, and not simply because he'd rather see Big Nellie -- who left Monday for a vacation in New Zealand -- stay with the Mavs as a Red Auerbach-style godfather.

"I would just ask him, 'How many more mountains can you climb?'" Donnie said. "He's the second-winningest coach of all-time. He's achieved pretty much everything there is to achieve as a player, coach and executive. If he asks me, for health reasons and everything else, I'd tell him, 'You don't need it.'"

If that speech doesn't work . . . Donnie can always throw out the ESPN.com NBA Coach Approval Ratings as another deterrent.

dude1394

02-02-2006, 10:23 AM

Hah...you gotta hand it to nellie, he's an ultimate capitalist. :)

MavsFanFinley

02-02-2006, 10:24 AM

I'd love to see him coaching again. Even better if he ends up in Golden State.

Drbio

02-02-2006, 10:26 AM

He ought to stay retired. He's got nothing to prove and he won't win a championship with either Sacto or Golden State.

Bookit

02-02-2006, 10:29 AM

Nellie likes golf too much to get back into coaching. Besides, coaching is a high stress job and Nellie was looking a little large his last few years. Stick to golf Nellie.

dude1394

02-02-2006, 10:30 AM

Heck man, coaching doesn't stress nelson out, it's all butta' to him. He constantly played golf during the season.

If he can earn another 5mill/year...he's there.

capitalcity

02-02-2006, 11:42 AM

When did Maui get a pro team?

dirt_dobber

02-02-2006, 11:54 AM

SPECIAL MIDWEEK EDITION Don of a new age?
By Marc Stein
ESPN.com

You will not see Don Nelson's name when ESPN.com provides your monthly opportunity to register bench grades and gripes via our NBA Coach Approval Ratings.

Not this February.

But by next February . . .

Don't be surprised if he's at midseason with his new team.

Multiple Nellie associates inform ESPN.com that the 65-year-old has dropped hints about considering other jobs after sitting out the rest of this season. It's highly unlikely that Mavericks owner Mark Cuban would let Nelson go anywhere before next season anyway, and a couple of those same Nellie associates say a return to the bench won't happen unless someone out there offers him an annual salary of at least $5 million, but you can be pretty sure someone will in the off-season.

Reason being: There isn't a better coach on the planet who isn't working.

He's officially a Mavericks consultant these days, but Avery Johnson's Mavs don't consult Nelson for much. This is also the final season in which Nelson is earning $5 million, after which comes a drop to a more consultant-like $1 million (and change) but also more freedom to leave for a head-coaching spot, which is why a new gig would shock no one who knows him.

Media types in the Bay Area are already tossing out Nelson's name as an ideal successor to Mike Montgomery in Golden State, given that the Warriors haven't been to the playoffs since Nelson's last full season there in 1993-94. Nelson will also be mentioned as a candidate in Seattle -- barring the re-hiring of the recently promoted Bob Hill -- because of Nelson's longstanding friendship with Sonics general manager Rick Sund.

But I'm betting on Sacramento.

Nelson remains undeniably close with Warriors vice president Chris Mullin, but that alone isn't enough to legitimize the link. Team sources, for starters, insist that reports of friction between Montgomery and star guard Baron Davis are a media creation. Yet even if the Warriors continue to fade and miss the playoffs for the 12th consecutive season, Nelson can't be considered a serious contender to take over in Oaktown unless his relationship with Warriors owner Chris Cohan is mended. Don't forget that Cohan's messy 1995 parting with Nelson was not wrapped up until 1999, when an NBA arbirtator ruled that Nelson could keep $1.6 million that Cohan expected him to repay after Nelson was hired to coach the Knicks.

The Sonics? My suspicion -- endorsed by everyone I've presented it to -- is that Seattle won't be looking to hire a $5 million-a-year coach if Hill is not retained.

Which brings us to Sacramento, where Rick Adelman is in the final few months of his contract. If the Adelman era ends at season's end, as widely expected after a run of eight seasons, Nelson really is a natural successor there. For a few reasons.

1) As we said about the Lakers' Phil Jackson and Denver's George Karl, Nelson is sufficiently eccentric in his own right to have a shot at clicking with new Kings cornerstone Ron Artest.

2) Kings co-owner Joe and Gavin Maloof are undoubtedly willing to pay top dollar for coach, as evidenced by their not-so-secret attempt to hire Jackson before Phil returned to L.A.

3) Nelson is already working for the Maloofs. The madcap brothers own the production company that, with George Clooney as their producer, is putting together a basketball sitcom

Donnie Nelson, president of basketball operations for the Mavericks and Nellie's son, doesn't doubt that his dad's name will come up for several jobs. Noting that the starting-over Toronto Raptors just created a front-office opening, Donnie said: "Anybody looking for a coach or GM should have Nellie on their list. He's already built three franchises from the ground up."

The younger Nelson is quick to add, though, that he'll be lobbying his father to turn down any offer that comes, and not simply because he'd rather see Big Nellie -- who left Monday for a vacation in New Zealand -- stay with the Mavs as a Red Auerbach-style godfather.

"I would just ask him, 'How many more mountains can you climb?'" Donnie said. "He's the second-winningest coach of all-time. He's achieved pretty much everything there is to achieve as a player, coach and executive. If he asks me, for health reasons and everything else, I'd tell him, 'You don't need it.'"

If that speech doesn't work . . . Donnie can always throw out the ESPN.com NBA Coach Approval Ratings as another deterrent.

.

Drbio

02-02-2006, 11:56 AM

No offense intended dirt_dobber but there is a good thread in the around the nba section going on this topic. ;)

Evilmav2

02-02-2006, 11:59 AM

And just in case any of y'all are interested in seeing how the Kings' faithful are warming to the idea of Big Don coaching in Sacramento, you might check out the following link:

http://www.kingsfans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10423

Drbio

02-02-2006, 12:06 PM

And just in case any of y'all are interested in seeing how the Kings' faithful are warming to the idea of Big Don coaching in Sacramento, you might check out the following link:

http://www.kingsfans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10423

Great link Evil!

It's kind of odd to see the kings fans giving Dallas credit while saying no to Nellie. I think Nellie would make that team better. I personally would like for him to stay retired though. Calling us a good defensive team and great team in the past had to be hard for those kings fans. ;)

Bookit

02-02-2006, 12:11 PM

Wow, they don't like Nellie as a coach at all.

nowitzki_prophecy

02-02-2006, 12:17 PM

Nellie coaching artest would be funny:)

chumdawg

02-02-2006, 12:25 PM

When a true genius enters into the world, you will know him by this sign:
The dunces are all in confederacy against him.

chumdawg

02-02-2006, 12:30 PM

By the way, those who think Nellie and Artest wouldn't be a fit made in heaven aren't aware of just how tremendous a defender Sidney Moncrief was under Nellie's tutelage. Two-time Defensive Player of the Year, and by some estimates one of the best defenders of all time.

dirt_dobber

02-02-2006, 12:30 PM

Thanks Doc,
Mods please feel free to move and merge!

Go Mavs!

Simon2

02-02-2006, 12:32 PM

Doesn't he have a sitcom coming up too. What a wasted 4 million. It would be great to see him coaching again. Just not on the Mavs.

sike

02-02-2006, 01:07 PM

whoa...a simon sighting..

Nellie coaching a team that does not even have a chance doesn't excite me..

DevinHarriswillstart

02-02-2006, 04:21 PM

If he joined Sacramento, they might as well institute a new rule at Arco where the team isn't even allowed to try on defense. It seems once a stigma always a stigma in this league.

MavsFanFinley

02-02-2006, 07:31 PM

What's Donnie Nelson's contract status? I wonder if Nellie does return to coaching if Donnie might follow him shortly after?

Bookit

02-02-2006, 09:51 PM

What's Donnie Nelson's contract status? I wonder if Nellie does return to coaching if Donnie might follow him shortly after?

Bite your tongue. Bad Karma.

Thespiralgoeson

02-03-2006, 05:52 AM

If he joined Sacramento, they might as well institute a new rule at Arco where the team isn't even allowed to try on defense. It seems once a stigma always a stigma in this league.

Psh... You obviously never saw a Nellie-coached team before the Mavs. His Milwaukee teams were some of the best defensive teams in the NBA throughout the 80's. And if I remember correctly, his Golden State teams weren't that bad defensively either.

chumdawg

02-03-2006, 06:15 AM

Shhh...don't tell the kids, spiral.

Nellie has always done whatever it would take to win. Always. No way he was going to beat those Boston, Philly, and LA teams on offense, so the Bucks played defense. No way he was going to beat Shaquille O'Neal on defense with Raef LaFrenz and Shawn Bradley, so he played offense.

Is this so hard to understand? To me, it's not.

You know, I find it funny looking back to see that in the '03 playoff run we spent well less than ten minutes a game without a center on the court. Oh, but Nellie, even if he had Shaq, wouldn't play him. Please.

And don't give me Patrick Ewing on the very down side of his career as a counter-example. Ewing was a dog.

Thespiralgoeson

02-03-2006, 06:23 AM

Shhh...don't tell the kids, spiral.

Nellie has always done whatever it would take to win. Always. No way he was going to beat those Boston, Philly, and LA teams on offense, so the Bucks played defense. No way he was going to beat Shaquille O'Neal on defense with Raef LaFrenz and Shawn Bradley, so he played offense.

Is this so hard to understand? To me, it's not.

You know, I find it funny looking back to see that in the '03 playoff run we spent well less than ten minutes a game without a center on the court. Oh, but Nellie, even if he had Shaq, wouldn't play him. Please.

And don't give me Patrick Ewing on the very down side of his career as a counter-example. Ewing was a dog.

Too true about the Shaq bit. Nellie would've had a FIELD DAY if he'd ever had the chance to coach Shaq, with Shaq's superb passing skills and all. I could just see him putting Shaq next to a forward with Walker-like passing skills and mid-range game and destroying everything in his path.

chumdawg

02-03-2006, 07:24 AM

Drool.

Dooby

02-03-2006, 10:03 AM

Shhh...don't tell the kids, spiral.

Nellie has always done whatever it would take to win. Always. No way he was going to beat those Boston, Philly, and LA teams on offense, so the Bucks played defense. No way he was going to beat Shaquille O'Neal on defense with Raef LaFrenz and Shawn Bradley, so he played offense.

Is this so hard to understand? To me, it's not.

You know, I find it funny looking back to see that in the '03 playoff run we spent well less than ten minutes a game without a center on the court. Oh, but Nellie, even if he had Shaq, wouldn't play him. Please.

And don't give me Patrick Ewing on the very down side of his career as a counter-example. Ewing was a dog.

I don't hang out here as much as I used too, but how can anybody say this anymore? Avery has a bunch of guys that could not play defense according to Don Nelson, and not only has them playing better D, but playing better overall.

Nelson was lazy at the end. He preferred playing golf to going to practice. F' him.

chumdawg

02-03-2006, 10:22 AM

I don't hang out here as much as I used too, but how can anybody say this anymore? Avery has a bunch of guys that could not play defense according to Don Nelson, and not only has them playing better D, but playing better overall.

Nelson was lazy at the end. He preferred playing golf to going to practice. F' him.Well, he didn't have Diop, and he didn't have Griffin. So there's two of five in the starting lineup. (Yes, I know, he had Griffin before. He also won 60 games that year.)

Nellie may well have been lazy in '04, but he was on his game in '03 (and every year up until then). I don't have a whole lot of doubt in my mind that if Nellie's team hadn't been broken up in that ill-fated summer of '03, he would have already won a championship by now, or been very close.

You may, but I don't.

As I always say, genius strikes where it pleases. And it struck right on top of Don Nelson's silver head.

Rhylan

02-03-2006, 10:31 AM

Nellie is great at building franchises, but he's not great at getting over that proverbial hump. It's happened three times, now. I love the guy for his personality, and his attitude, and his smarts, and what he did for the Mavs while here... but he lost interest in the team, and they've been better since he left! He hardly even coached last year.

It's Nellie's very attitude and approach, that make him such a great innovator, GM, and resurrector of franchises, are what rob him of the focus and fine tuning necessary to build a champion. He's a set-up man.

sike

02-03-2006, 11:02 AM

Nellie is great at building franchises, but he's not great at getting over that proverbial hump.
you only say that because it's always been true.

Thespiralgoeson

02-03-2006, 07:18 PM

Nellie never got his team "over the proverbial hump" because he never had a franchise player. The closest thing he ever had was Dirk, who was still coming into his own, and who knows, maybe if Dirk hadn't gone out in the WCF we would've been the champs. (You could also make a case for Cwebb, but he turned out to be a headcase) But honestly folks, how many championships do you think Pat Riley would have if the Lakers never had that no. 1 pick and landed Magic? Or do you think Phil Jackson could've coached that Milwaukee to victory over the likes of Bird's Celtics, Moses Malone's Sixers, Isiah's Pistons, or Magic's Lakers? Do you think Greg Popovich or Larry Brown would've gotten that Golden State team "over the proverbial hump" by going through the Stockton/Malone Jazz, or Hakeem's Rockets, and taking out Jordan's Bulls in the finals? Please...

You know, Nellie was actually offered the coaching job in Boston before they rekindled their dynasty, but he turned it down because he turned it down in favor of Milwaukee. You think if Don Nelson had coached Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parrish, Danny Ainge, Dennis Johnson, Cedric Maxwell etc... he wouldn't have gotten that team "over the hump?" Nonsense. Nellie would have three or maybe even more championships, (lord knows Nellie was a better coach than KC Jones ever was) Imagine Nellie's genius with the greatest frontline in NBA history at his disposal.

dude1394

02-03-2006, 07:29 PM

Nellie coaching artest would be funny:)

Artest would love nellie. He wants to be an offensive powerhouse to get more bucks. Nellie may be as crazy as artest. :)

dude1394

02-03-2006, 07:31 PM

Psh... You obviously never saw a Nellie-coached team before the Mavs. His Milwaukee teams were some of the best defensive teams in the NBA throughout the 80's. And if I remember correctly, his Golden State teams weren't that bad defensively either.

I like nellie but it seems like he had turned a page on defense. I do wonder if he may think that he was wrong about being able to coach defense to these players. If not he isn't as smart as I think he is.

MavKikiNYC

02-06-2006, 06:32 PM

Planning playoffs? Call Nellie

DON NELSON PUT the word out to three Western Conference teams this week: If you want to make the playoffs this season, fire your current coach immediately and hire me. It's a bold statement, but in regards to the Kings, it's undoubtedly true; the Warriors, it's quite possibly true; and the SuperSonics, it's probably wishful thinking.
You see, Nelson will stop earning $5 million a year from Mark Cuban at season's end, and even at age 65, he still enjoys receiving monthly paychecks. He's definitely planning to coach somewhere next season.
So why not start the search now while some teams are desperate?
Like Sacramento, which thrust itself back into the playoff conversation by acquiring Ron Artest last week. Now if the Kings only had a coach whose philosophies were consistent with the wide-open playing styles of Artest, Mike Bibby and Bonzi Wells.
That's Nelson.
As for a possible return to the Warriors, there's just too much bad blood between Nelson and Chris Cohan for it to be even a remote possibility. That said, you wonder if the 61/2-year coach of the Warriors wouldn't be the best thing for Mike Dunleavy, just as he was for Chris Mullin.
Seattle has some interesting pieces. Then again, Denver has more, and Nelson already has a history of uprooting George Karl.
Stay tuned. With Kevin Garnett on the trade block and Nelson available as a free agent, the Western playoff race could get real interesting.

dude1394

02-06-2006, 06:33 PM

So you think avery solicits much advice from nellie? Or can find him for that matter. :)

ABC News' Lidia Alikhani reports:
If you find a pair of those trendy red-bottom heels for a deal that sounds too good to be true, it probably is.U.S. Customs and Border Protection confiscated 20,457 pairs of counterfeit Christian Louboutin shoes at the Los Angeles/Long Beach seaport.

“They label the shipments as generic shoes when, in fact, they&rsquo;re bringing over contraband,” said Jaime Ruiz, a public affairs specialist for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
According to the CBP, the knock-off shoes that were transported in five different shipments on a cargo ship in large boxes from China had a domestic value of more than $57,000, meaning it cost just less than $3 per pair to make them.
Officials said there were enough of those red soles to add up to a suggested retail value of $18 million, an unbelievable profit.
“The original [Christian Louboutin shoes:http://www.redbottomsshoesny.com] is in china,” said chief CBP officer Guillermina Escobar. “Once we saw it was coming in from China, we knew there was a problem with the shipment.”
Officials took pictures of the shoes and consulted with the trademark holder to authenticate the shoe. Once they learned they were counterfeit, the hot commodities were taken off the black market and placed into the border patrol&rsquo;s possession.
Had the shoes slipped through the cracks, Escobar said, they would likely have been sold on illegitimate websites and underground outlets, some of which may fail to mention the shoes are counterfeits.
The CBP said it will destroy the more than 20,000 pairs of high-fashion shoes, likely by burning them.
Escobar said a total of three different importers shipped the counterfeits on July 27 and Aug. 14 of this year.
The incident is still under investigation but the importers will likely be charged with a trademark violation.
CBP officials said there were 24,792 seizures of counterfeit and pirated goods in the 2011 fiscal year.
One thousand twenty of those trade seizures had a domestic value exceeding $37 million and all took place in the greater Los Angeles area.
“This represents an 18 percent increase in the number of seizures from fiscal year 2010,” said Escobar.
The CBP said it knows what hot commodities are coming in to the United States and will make sure to keep an eye out for any more counterfeits.
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